Injuries from sharp implements such as syringe needles are particularly dangerous to health and medical personnel who run the risk of exposure to disease. Avoidance of contracting communicable diseases such as hepatitis-B, and AIDS is a special concern to medical personnel treating patients afflicted with these diseases. Each of these diseases can be communicated to medical personnel as a result of an accidental injury when handling a contaminated needle, for instance, which has been used to take blood samples or administer intravenous liquids to a patient.
Typically, an intravenous therapy service, such as a respiratory therapist provider, must locate a suitable blood vessel in a patient's limb, normally the arm, by palpating the body part. This requires maximum tactility at the fingerprint area of the index and middle fingers of the nurse in order to locate a suitable blood vessel. Upon location of the blood vessel, the nurse inserts a hypodermic needle through the skin into the vessel to inject a fluid or withdraw the patient's blood which, in either case, contaminates the needle. Once the procedure is complete, the needle is generally re-sheathed and discarded. Portions of the sensing hand are particularly vulnerable. The metacarpal region, thenar web space, thumb and first and/or second fingers are high-risk areas of the hand which are protected by the several embodiments of the present invention.
A myriad of devices adapted to shield the sensing hand opposite the hand carrying the sharp implement have been taught. U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,543 ('543 patent”) for example, discloses the application of one or more impervious shields which are selected and adhered on the surface of a donned surgical glove. The adhesively affixed shields are shaped for example, to cover the palm, the index and/or the third finger of the left (or sensing) hand. The shields can be selected by the practitioner for a particular procedure and the location of the shields would vary according to the '543 patent's invention. The shields affixed to a disposable surgical glove would be selected and affixed to the glove prior to the procedure involving a sharp. It would be desirable to provide a simpler and faster mode of donning and removing a disposable shield apparatus with or without usage of a surgical glove. It would be desirable to provide a hand guard device which resists puncture or through-cuts, but allows for normal articulation of the sensing hand, and original tactile sensitivity, and which is easily donned, and inexpensive to provide disposability upon a single use.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved hand guards and methods for making a hand guards which may be used by medical personnel when handling sharps.